


Trouble in Paradise

by AshPotter, CrazyEyesChick



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Nick Fury, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Bisexual Tony Stark, Bottom Steve Rogers, Boys Kissing, Canon Divergence - Post-Avengers (2012), Developing Relationship, Eventual Smut, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Time, Humor, M/M, Mystery, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Oblivious Steve Rogers, Post-Avengers (2012), Pre-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Relationship(s), Slow Build, Slow Burn, The Avengers Are Good Bros, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21574321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshPotter/pseuds/AshPotter, https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrazyEyesChick/pseuds/CrazyEyesChick
Summary: Even after their victory against Loki in the movie 'The Avengers', Tony and Steve can't seem to get along. So, after two agents go missing on an assignment, Tony and Steve find out that they're being paired together on an undercover mission at a high end luxury resort in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that has possible ties to HYDRA... What they don't know is that the resort is designed for couples.  Can the two heroes play along with this charade without killing each other or will they succumb to dormant feelings they may have not known existed?  One thing is certain, this mission will push their sexual, mental, and emotional limits in a myriad of ways.***Eventual smut, slow build***Tags will be updated and added as the story is updated. Its's status will eventually be explicit*
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 5
Kudos: 26





	1. A Heated Exchange

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! So, my boyfriend and I are trying something different. Hopefully, this slow build and fake relationship thing will keep you at the edge of your seat with anticipation. Sexy times will happen, and it's definitely hard for me to restrain myself, but I wanted to try my hand at something different.
> 
> ***Tags will be added as the story goes along, especially for the sexy parts***
> 
> Hopefully, it will be received well.  
> ***Thanks to my wonderful boyfriend ASHPOTTER, for editing and teaming up with me for this story***
> 
> Enjoy and comments and constructive criticism is always welcome.

Tony Stark leisurely strolled down the hall of the Avengers Tower, warm coffee a-grip and whistling a happy tune.

When Tony passed the transparent windows of the conference room, he saw all of the Avengers gathered around the circular table, some waiting more patiently than others.

Tony enjoyed antagonizing his friends by arriving late for meetings. He enjoyed their facial expressions, ranging from exasperation, amusement or simply downright furious.

Tony didn’t miss the impatient taps coming from Steve Rogers’ long fingers as he pushed the door open and he announced himself in true Tony Stark fashion.

While the others simply looked amused at Tony’s tardiness, Steve never missed a beat and kept eyeing the dark-haired man with a venomous glare that could rival Nick Fury’s.

Tony smirked, revelling in his work.

God, he loved to ruffle Steve’s feathers. Something about seeing Steve angry excited him on multiple levels.

‘Morning everyone!’ The billionaire cheerfully announced while he spun his chair around, to sit right next to the internally fuming Captain America.

Steve’s blue eyes locked onto Tony’s, ‘Why do you always have to make an entrance? Can you be on time for anything?’

Tony reclined in his seat, leaning comfortably into the soft cushions of his chair. A hint of surprise flashed across his eyes.

‘Sorry Cap, you know how it is… Things to see, people to do.’

‘I don’t think that’s how the saying goes…I believe it’s more along the lines of things to do, people to see,’ Clint’s eyebrows raised in confusion, curious to see what Stark had meant.

‘I know what I said,’ as Tony slowly pushed down the darkly tinted glasses that rested on his face while shooting a quick wink in Clint’s direction before haphazardly sliding the glasses back into their normal position.

Tony could feel the resentment emanating from Steve as he shot the man a glance from the corner of his eye.

‘Is everything a joke to you?’ chastised Steve, his tone low and challenging.

‘Nah, some of us just like to have fun, old man,’ Tony replied playfully.

Steve took the bait, standing at the edge of his seat, ready to pounce while Tony’s open stance clearly invited him to try.

Steve didn’t know why, but as much as Tony had the moxie to be Iron Man, Steve just couldn’t deal with Stark’s whimsical demeanor. This man was a child. How could he be trusted to co-lead a team?

‘Ladies…’ Maria Hill’s strong voice resonated through the walls, cutting their petty argument short to everyone’s disappointment.

Steve instantly shut up and sat back down, arms folded across his muscular chest, his eyes never leaving the pompous expression plastered across Tony’s face.

Maria rolled her eyes as she started her briefing, ‘Alright, listen up…’ she began as a hologram appeared behind her as she swiped through files on a tablet in her hands. The profiles of two SHIELD agents came into focus as the Avengers settled in.

‘We had two agents go missing on a simple reconnaissance mission. We had received solid intel that there was a possible HYDRA base located on a small, remote island in the Pacific. We found out that this potential base is currently functioning as a high-end luxury vacation resort…’

Tony cut Maria off mid sentence, mumbling under his breath, ‘Why don’t I ever get these assignments?’ while casually slurping his coffee loudly.

Steve exhaled loudly, crushing the pencil in his hands with a loud crack. All it did was make Tony’s smile broaden on his face.

Maria snapped back, ‘Enough, Stark, we don’t have time for this,’ as Maria swiped again, this time revealing a detailed blueprint and pamphlet of the island. ‘This is it gentlemen, Dreamland Island Resort, take a look…’ motioning behind her, drawing attention to the task at hand.

The resort looked really expensive with its vast pools and large palm tree areas. It looked like the perfect hideout, but for what?

Steve took in all the information and looked at the terrain wondering what Hill needed from them.

‘And why exactly do you need us?’ From his previous work with Shield, the soldier knew that they sometimes liked to omit certain pertinent details. He felt there was more to the story than that, he felt it in his gut.

‘Uh, isn’t it obvious? She wants the best,’ Tony proclaimed, invading Steve’s personal space just to spite him. The genius was literally in Steve’s face, sharing the same space. Steve frowned.

‘What? Don’t think you’re up for the challenge?’ Tony said with a little nudge from his elbow.

Steve’s face wore a red flush, his eyes burning as he slapped the flat of his hand on the table.

‘You know what?’ Steve gritted through his teeth, his anger flaring up at Stark’s quip.

The rest of the Avengers settled in, bemused at the budding conflict between Steve and Tony, Steve seeming to be the only one not to catch on that Tony was having fun at his expense.

Bruce Banner shook his head in disbelief, ‘People can actually afford this place?’ scoffing at the price of the resort.

Tony, focused for once, looked a bit confused.

‘How come I’ve never heard of this place before? Seems like somewhere I’d fit right in,’ he said cheekily.

Maria, a bit surprised by the thoughtfulness behind Stark’s question, responded candidly.

‘That’s because it didn’t exist until 2 months ago,’ she said as she flipped through her tablet once more, showing missing person’s files, ‘Before our agents went missing, they managed to link the resort to several missing person’s cases. Furthermore, SHIELD keeps a record of potential criminally involved individuals, and some of those individuals have found themselves at the resort.’

‘Still, Cap had a point. What do you need our skills for? Aside from Nat and I, the others aren’t really suitable for stealth missions, if you know what I mean…’ Clint spared a glance in Thor’s direction who seemed to be oblivious as to what it meant.

Maria sighed.

‘That’s because one of our agents was enhanced and even with that, they were still compromised. We lost all communications. Once there, it’s a total blackout. You’ll be alone out there, without backup. This mission requires a certain skillset…’

‘Why do I feel there’s a but coming…’ Natasha asked. Maria’s eyes fluttered close and forced a light smile, gripping her pad firmly in her grasp. This was the part she dreaded.

Natasha picked up on Agent Hill’s silence, ‘Not everyone’s going on this mission…’

Maria nodded in acknowledgment, divulging some details of the mission at hand, ‘That’s correct. Two of you will be going undercover to figure out what happened and if need be, intercept and stop them. It’s imperative that you go unnoticed and stay out of the spotlight,’ Maria cut the silence as her eyes locked onto Tony’s unimpressed stare.

‘That may be more difficult for some of you than others,’ as she brought her attention back to the rest of the group, ‘but we need to get to the bottom of what is going on here. It’s the perfect front. HYDRA would stand to gain a lot from a presence there.’

‘I don’t understand, why can’t we just storm the island?’ chimed Steve, running his hands through his hair and letting out a deep breath.

Maria shook her head subtly, ‘Too much collateral damage. Also, they might be onto us, destroy any evidence and leave. This is HYDRA we’re talking about, we need to move forward cautiously. If we can figure out what’s going on at this location, maybe we can gather more information as to why people keep dropping off the grid without a trace.’

Steve slowly nodded in agreement, ‘Understood, so…who’s it going to be then?’

The Super Soldier wondered who’d have the qualifications for the job. Hulk would be a flight risk. As for himself, he was obviously out. Steve couldn’t lie to save his life.

Then, his blue eyes skimmed past Tony and Thor, knowing subtlety wasn’t their forte. Thor was way too loud, and Tony well, he didn’t really play well with others.

It’s not that Steve hated Tony. Actually, he found the man could step up when he was needed. He just had a problem obeying Steve’s command and that could be costly on the battlefield. That left the two spies, however, if one enhanced human couldn’t do anything, the Captain wasn’t sure how their skills would fare if taken by surprise. They had no idea what they'd find on the inside.

Maria’s eyes travelled over the crowd of heroes, resting between Steve and Tony, unblinking.

Steve finally caught on to what was happening, thinking ‘Oh no…You gotta be kidding me…’ with his mouth gaping open like a fish. As for Tony, his sparling brown eyes simply grew wide in recognition, muttering a small, 'yes!'. It was worth it simply to witness the Captain's dumfounded look.

His eyes began to bulge, ‘Ma'am, with all due respect, I don't think that’s a good idea…’

He was squirming in his seat. The thought of having to go on a mission, alone with Tony, didn’t please him at all. He couldn’t believe it was even under consideration. The two of them hadn’t been the best of friends, although he had tried without much success. This mission would be a disaster, their personalities were totally opposite of each other. To be honest, Tony’s constant bickering, disregard for orders, and nonchalant attitude drove him up the fucking wall.

Tony cut Steve off mid-sentence, ‘Come on, Capsicle, why the long face? I’m a joy to be around,’ Tony ended with a wink.

Tony was ecstatic. He had always enjoyed messing with America’s golden boy, but it was always meant to be in a playful manner; he had come to enjoy Steve and his presence. Messing with him was just Tony’s way of showing his affection to the man.

While Steve and Tony mulled things over, the others decided to voice their opinions finally figuring out Tony and Steve had been chosen when they picked on the whimsy glances between them.

Bruce simply muttered a soft. ‘That’s fine by me’ and kept to his corner, silent.

Clint piped up, breaking some of the tension, ‘Awww man, why does he get to go?’ His finger pointed to Tony accusingly.

‘Shut it, Clint,’ Nat shot a glare Clint’s way, shutting him up instantly while the others just went along with it.

Thor pounded the wooden table with both of his hands, startling his SHIELD brothers, his glee radiating from him, ’That is wonderful news!’

For a moment, things settled down, until Bruce shyly raised his hand, ‘Hm, one question…’ he paused, ‘Why them?’ Bruce asked. Bruce wasn’t stupid, both men were remarkable and quite the team when they worked together. Yet, it was easier said than done.

Maria had expected some of the Avengers to be a bit suspicious as to why they had selected Captain America and Iron Man for the mission. For sure, there were better alternatives, but Nick Fury had been adamant about it.

‘As much as I loath to say it, Stark’s a genius and his mastery of technology and computers makes him a valuable asset to gather intel undetected.’

Tony looked smug, but Steve knew Maria was right. He’d never known anyone as smart as him.

‘And as for Steve, his tactical prowess, quick thinking, and his enhanced abilities will come in handy if things go awry. You’ll need to work together for this to work. Steve will be your back-up since you won’t be able to have your Iron Man armor with you.’

‘WHAT?!! Why? Guess you’ll have to protect my rear, Cap!’

Tony’s face fell at the news. He’d never battled without his armor. He didn’t know how to feel about that. His sight settled on Steve who studied him like a book. Steve’s expression was blank, yet he could see the wheels turning in that head of his.

‘See? How do you expect me to work with that?’ Steve yelled, pointing at Tony’s childish outburst. ‘I don’t do undercover missions because I’m horrible at them. And you want me there with Stark? He can’t follow orders…at all. Natasha is better suited at infiltration, use her.’

A painful pang tugged at Tony’s heart when the words flew past Steve’s lips. It hurt him more than he thought.

‘Well, maybe I’ll listen more if you’d take the stick out of your ass, Rogers.’ Tony flung himself out of his chair.

‘Do you even hear yourself, Stark?’ Steve met Tony’s stance right on.

With a flick of her wrist, Maria dismissed the bright holograms, leaving the room to bask in darkness. She knew she’d be met with protests from Captain America, but this was getting out of hand and fast.

The billionaire had to distance himself from Steve as he felt his heart thud sporadically. Why couldn’t he keep his mouth shut? And judging by the balled fist at his sides, he would keep antagonizing the Captain even further.

‘Seriously, Cap, why are you so against this? I thought you liked showing everyone how it’s done,’ Tony retorted, crowding into the soldier’s space. There was such a huge gap in height between them, he noticed.

‘You know damn well why, so back off!’ Steve had no idea how things had escalated so quickly, but Tony had to understand why. Lives were at stake, here!

From amongst the shadows, a voice growled out in a low, but familiar octave, “Enough!”

A large figure slowly stepped forward from the darkness; had this person been here the whole time?

Nick Fury steeled his expression, prompting the Avengers to pay attention.

‘This isn’t a vacation people; you need to get your shit together.’ Nick Fury retorted. ‘You,’ he said looking at Steve with his good eye, ‘I expected better of you. You’re the damn Captain of this team, and I expect you to know better and to do what you’re told. I don’t give a shit about what you motherfuckers want. There’s a reason why you’re both on this mission and you’ve gotta trust me to know what I’m doing. You do the mission, get the intel and get the fuck out. Are we gonna have a problem here, Captain?’

‘No…sir,’ as Steve stood up and made a beeline for the door, storming out of the conference room.

‘Peachy, you better get your asses ready, you leave at 0800 tomorrow morning. Happy vacation, motherfuckers. Meeting adjourned.’

Fury motioned for Maria Hill to follow him, leaving the other members of the Avengers behind.

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of how to respond. All of their gazes settled on a dumbstruck Tony Stark who was frozen in place. His fists were curled tightly, his knuckles almost white.

Tony’s head snapped to his left when a gentle hand poised itself on his shaking shoulder.

‘I’ll go talk to him,’ Natasha said with a rare show of empathy before she exited the room.

Tony stared into the empty void in front of him, the phantom squeeze of Natasha’s comforting grip grounding him. He clenched his eyes shut, a fire ablaze within his heart. He was angry at Rogers for not trusting him.

Tony was roused from his thoughts by the calm voice of his fellow scientist friend, ‘Hey buddy, don’t worry about it…I’m sure Steve will come around…’

Banner circled his arm around Tony’s lean, yet strong shoulders. He had noticed something of a spark between Steve and Tony. At least from Tony’s end, what with all the shameless flirting and riling him up and whatnot.

Well, he observed Tony flirting with Steve on several occasions, without any sort of response from the older man.

Tony’s anger abated a bit with Bruce’s kind words, hoping they held any kind of truth. He gave a weak smile in response.

‘That’s right, man! Cap can be a bit stiff about these things, but I’m sure he’ll figure things out. Deep down, he knows there’s no one he’d rather work with,’ cheered Clint, poking at Tony childishly.

‘Indeed, Man of Iron, the captain will surely see how wonderful of a man you are!’ boasted Thor, tapping Tony on his back, almost making him choke from the strength of the swat. God, Thor needed to control his strength.

It seemed everyone was aware of this… complicated situation with Rogers. All except for the man himself.

Steve was a brilliant man on the field, however he was utterly clueless off of it.

Whenever he tried to get closer to Steve, somehow their mix was a deadly chemical reaction set for failure.

Ever since Tony hit puberty, he’d found himself attracted to the many vintage promotional posters of Captain America plastered on the walls of his childhood room. He’d never have guessed they would eventually work together, not in a million years. They had gotten off on the wrong foot with Loki’s invasion, and finally gotten to share small talk, but they couldn’t keep a conversation for more than two minutes before arguing, which was problematic if they were to go undercover and pretend to be friends.

Thinking back, Tony realized the blond man was so different than what he had been told by his father, it irked him that he didn’t meet Steve’s approval. Tony hated being dismissed, and whenever Steve opened his mouth to discredit him, he couldn’t control himself and lashed out.

 _‘I just hope this doesn’t end with one of us dead…, **’**_ He thought as he finally noticed he stood alone in the middle of the room. Bruce, Clint and Thor had gone from the premises.

It didn’t take long for Tony to leave the room, closing the door behind him, preparing himself for what was to come.

With a watchful eye, two figures emerged from the shadows looking at Stark’s retreating form.

A soft female voice pierced the shadows, ‘You sure about this, sir? This could blow up in our faces,’ Maria Hill said, taking a step forward out of the shadows.

Another more predominant silhouette joined her side. Nick Fury stared into the horizon, hands firmly clasped behind his back, ’If this doesn’t make them sort their shit out, nothing will.’


	2. A Rocky Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tony pack up and get ready for their mission, unware of Fury's true intentions behind their pairing up. Someone talks some sense into Steve and Stark can't help being all over the place. Obviously, they can't keep their mouth from insulting each other whenever they can. Or perhaps they are just flirting with each other...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being patient! Here is the next short chapter. Thanks for my boyfriend for the edit. Hope you like it.

Steve waited patiently at the helipad of the Avengers Tower, the cool breeze of the morning air lightly grazing the side of his cheek. All he had was a small, tightly packed bag that laid at his feet.

For all intents and purposes, this wasn’t an actual vacation.

Steve anxiously paced around, every once in a while searching for his companion. There was still no sign of Tony or Agent Hill.

Steve checked his watch, wondering when someone else would show up.

7h45 a.m. and still no sign of Tony Stark.

_Shocking_ , Steve thought to himself, feeling the uneasiness about the mission build within him.

He’d already been there for an hour; his tumultuous sleep had kept his worried mind occupied.

Steve hadn’t really slept well the previous night, still bummed out from the news he had received. He still didn’t understand how two stubborn individuals like themselves would not clash on an undercover mission.

Something about the genius rubbed him the wrong way. The other man got under his skin.

Still, he wasn’t blind.

Him and Tony worked well under duress, but this was uncharted territory for both of them and Steve was clearly unconvinced that this wasn’t already doomed to fail.

Fidgeting in place, he stared into the horizon, contemplating the probability of a successful mission.

The odds weren’t in their favor. He didn’t know what to expect. He was 100 percent certain Fury withheld crucial information. There had to be an ulterior motive to sending both of them there.

But he couldn’t pinpoint what.

All he could do was hope for the best and make sure Tony got the information they needed that allowed them to rescue the missing SHIELD agents and unveil whatever it was HYDRA may have been up to behind in their new expensive vacation retreat.

Something ate at him, though. As the Captain, he had to appear confident, but this mission made him squeamish. He would never tell Tony this, but he counted on his partner to know how to handle things. It killed him to admit that Tony held the destiny of this mission in his hands.

To be honest, being Captain America never really gave him the opportunity for time off. In retrospect, Tony had been right, he was a bit uptight. Tony’s lavish life style would at least come in handy, not that Steve felt comfortable in such a way of life anyway. Some people were simply born with a silver spoon in their mouth.

He ran his hand through his golden hair with a heavy sigh, this would be more difficult than anticipated.

‘You worry too much...’ reached the soldier’s ears as the sudden voice was carried by the soft caress of the wind. Steve immediately recognized to whom the voice had belonged.

Natasha Romanov.

She appeared silently by his side while Steve turned and flashed her a faint smile.

‘I’ve never been accused of worrying too much before?’ Steve’s tone wearing a hint of gaiety to it, his blue eyes soft.

‘There’s a first time for everything, they say…’ as she moved with the grace of a ballerina to face Cap.

Steve’s silence was telling as she paused before saying, ‘You might be wrong you know…’

Steve sniggered at that, ‘This might not be a bad thing after all. Stark has his shortcomings, but he might teach you a thing or two.’

Steve raised his eyebrow, questioning what the Russian spy saw in Tony that he didn’t.

After hoisting up his duffle bag onto his right shoulder, he peered at Natasha, his features sporting a pensive look.

‘Somehow, I really doubt that...’ he said, reflecting on all the times they clashed.

‘You must see how absurd this is. We can’t even be in the same room together before we start yelling at each other. I’m not even sure he likes me, and I can’t even blame him for that.’

The thin, yet fit woman put her hand on the tall blond man’s shoulder in comfort, which stole a feeble breath from Steve’s moist lips. Steve’s nerves were getting the best of him, ‘Still…This mission doesn’t feel right…’ went past his lips in an inaudible mumble.

Faint foot steps mingled with the murmurs of the wind from far away, slowly approaching.

Natasha turned slightly to face the oncoming figures she felt at their backs, while Steve kept his sights on the dawn rising behind the vast view of the city of New York.

Her voice felt distant to the soldier’s attuned ears, ‘You’ll just have to see…’ she said taking her leave slowly but surely, her parting words embedded in Steve’s head.

‘Give the man a chance, Steve. He might surprise you…’

_I wouldn’t count on that…_ crossed the stern looking man’s mind as he turned around in Natasha’s direction, seeing a waving Tony and Maria Hill making their way towards him.

_Speak of the devil…_

Steve’s jaw nearly hit the floor. Here came Tony Stark in all his beach bum, retiree, mid life crisis glory.

What in the hell was Tony wearing?

Tony had on a pink button-down Tommy Bahama shirt with green palm trees scrawled all over it. He left the first few buttons undone, exposing a black tank top, obviously needing to hide his arc reactor somehow. His shorts were navy blue and very short and his feet were clad with two simple leather flip flops. Tony’s aviator sunglasses sat perfectly on the brim of his nose.

Steve quickly glanced at his watch.

7h59 a.m. Leave it to Tony Stark to show up literally just on time. He couldn’t have spared another minute.

Punctuality wasn’t Tony’s strong suit.

His lips curled into a barely visible smile mixed with a tinge of surprise.

_What do you know…_ the soldier mused in his head, _…he can be on time after all._

‘Where’s your bag?’ Steve twirled on his foot, showing his duffle bag, leaving Tony utterly unimpressed.

‘Right…’ Tony managed to chortle out as he stared at the cheap, flimsy bag Cap had slung over his shoulder.

‘What’s wrong with my bag? And what happened to your hair?’ Steve probed, defensive at first, but then noticing that the billionaire playboy had done…. something…to his hair.

Streaks of light blond in Tony’s hair were reflected by the rays of sunlight. He looked like a member of a 90’s boy band. The captain wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about it.

‘Dyed it. Cut it. I’m Tony Stark, Cap, wealthy people definitely will know who that is, but that’s not important right now.’ Waving his hand quickly, dismissing the matter, his mind focused entirely on something more pressing.

‘I still don’t see the problem…’ Steve shrugged as he wondered why Tony had such a vested interest in what he was bringing to the resort. It’s not like he had much to bring in the first place, anyways.

‘We’re supposed to be on vacation, Rogers… What exactly do you have in there? … Two pairs of boxers and a tooth brush?’ Tony chided with a toothy grin.

Anger flared inside Steve’s body, his patience wearing thin.

‘You do realize that we have a mission to do, right? There won’t be time to do anything else, so get your facts straight. Besides, I have everything I need. It’s not like I brought my whole wardrobe, unlike someone,’ as he pointed at Tony’s massive suitcase.

‘Wait, did Cap just crack a joke? Wow, never thought I’d see the day…’ he teased, his tone mocking ‘…but seriously, we’re supposed to blend in, and trust me when I say this; you won’t fool anyone with whatever that is…’ pointing at Steve’s bland white polo shirt, his long beige baggy pants, and his plain cap.

Steve frowned, he happened to like his clothes.

‘This isn’t Seniors Night at the community center, Steve. It’s a luxury resort,” Tony’s tone changed bit, moving just a hair towards being forceful.

Steve groaned, a headache forming.

‘Lucky for you, I packed for two. I knew you’d be useless without me..,’ as Stark’s voice trailed off, proactively claiming his first victory in what he assumed would be many verbal sparring sessions with Cap.

Steve took a slow exhale, exasperated by Stark’s antics, ‘What’s wrong with my clothes? They’re very comfortable and allow for easy movement.’

Steve wasn’t sure if he was impressed by Stark’s forwardness or put off by him calling his clothing choices less than adequate. He loved his clothes.

‘Are you deaf? What part of this is a fancy ass resort; this shit won’t fly where we’re going by aren’t you getting, Rogers?’ Tony snapped at Steve, not comprehending where the disconnect was with his explanation. ‘This ain’t a retirement home party, Cap. You’d get us noticed within seconds of reaching that island.’

Steve hated to admit it, but Tony was starting to make a lot of sense. He couldn’t let Tony know that, though. He could do with a bit more modicum, though.

‘Well…It can’t be worse than what you’re wearing…’ Steve fired off quickly.

Tony squinted his eyes at Steve, patting his own clothes, offended Steve would even suggest such a thing.

Maria fondly smiled at the two bickering men. Perhaps there was hope for them yet.

‘Here,’ Maria interjected in their playful quarreling, handing a large brown envelope to Steve. ‘These are your fake identities and documents. Since none of you are quite adept at undercover missions, we made sure to make them as close as to your actual names as possible to avoid unnecessary detection…’

Good call, they both thought. The last thing they needed was for one of them to slip up while hurling insults at each other.

‘Anthony Roberts and Steven Evans...’ Steve muttered as he opened the envelope to peer inside, fishing the two passports out, handing Tony his.

‘SHIELD has how much money…and these are the best fake identities you could give us?” Tony asked with a perplexed look on his face as he quickly flipped through the pages.

Maria rolled her eyes and ignored the smart ass comment.

‘Once at the resort, you’ll be on your own. Get the intel, find the agents, and get out. No heroics. Once you get there, give those names and you’ll be in.’

Tony and Steve looked at their papers.

Tony looked and his face crunched in apparent disgust, ‘By the way, these last names suck…’ he finished by shoving the offending document in his back pocket. Steve mirrored Tony’s actions, his stored safely in his breast pocket.

‘Jesus, Tony…Let it go. People are counting on us to do this right…’ Steve protested, hoping that Tony would, for once, not make a mountain out of a molehill.

Tony began to reply, wanting to say something about an image he had to uphold and how he wouldn’t be forced into an assumed lifestyle beneath him…but then he bit his tongue.

‘Sure…Whatever you say, Cap,’ Tony let out with a smile, holding in the angst he so badly wanted to release.

They both headed out towards the chopper that finally descended on the helipad.

Maria was shocked that Tony didn’t have some wise crack for Steve about their identities.

_Maybe this might work out after all_ , she thought to herself as the men moved further from earshot.

Tony leaned in, the sound of the chopper getting louder and louder as they drew nearer, ‘Just so you know, I have a reputation that precedes me and I can’t have you ruining that, undercover mission or not. Anthony Roberts, Tony Stark, doesn’t matter…so get changed when we get there and try not to cramp my style, yeah?”

Steve didn’t have a spoken response, just a quick shot to Tony’s ribs and a pat on the back, ‘How’s that for cramping your style?’

Maria stood by herself in silence, having watched the previous events unfold, as the two men boarded the helicopter and softly mumbled to herself, ‘We’re doomed…’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG...this is so hard to write...I just want them to kiss and make out, but I can't argg… hope you enjoyed this chapter and its light flirting. Will they actually focus on their mission, how will Steve react in the next chapter upon finding out what type of resort this is? Stay tuned! Comments keep me going and are super appreciated as always. More will come! Thanks again

**Author's Note:**

> That's it for now folks! I will try to update ASAP, but life happens. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Steve is kinda mean for now, but it paves the way to character development. I wonder what's in store for them? Comments, Kudos and construction criticism are always appreciated, it keeps me writing!


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